Day Trips & Desert Escapes from Fez — Chefchaouen, Meknes, Middle Atlas & Sahara From Fez, every road leads to a different Morocco: blue mountain towns, Roman ruins, holy hilltop villages, cedar forests, orchards, and — far beyond — the golden silence of the Sahara.
These journeys are not simply excursions. They are short stories lived in a single day, written in light, landscape, and human encounters. In this travel reflection, we share some of our most meaningful experiences starting from Fez — crafted with care, authenticity, and respect for place and people.
Fez to Chefchaouen — The Blue Pearl of the Rif (Full-Day Excursion) Leave the ochre walls of Fez behind and travel through rolling hills and olive groves toward Chefchaouen, the legendary Blue City of the Rif Mountains. As you enter the town, the world shifts into shades of indigo and sky: alleyways painted in blue, carved wooden doors, balconies draped in bougainvillea.
Wander gently through quiet streets where artisans work behind half-open doors and fountains murmur beneath tiled archways. Chefchaouen is not rushed — it invites you to breathe, to photograph, and to listen.
Journey Highlights • Blue medina & Andalusian atmosphere • Mountain scenery & panoramic viewpoints • Gentle walking & artisan workshops
Meknes, Volubilis & Moulay Idriss — Empires, Stones & Saints (Full-Day Excursion) This day gathers centuries into a single journey. In Meknes, once the imperial capital of Moulay Ismail, monumental gates, royal granaries, and vast esplanades still echo the ambition of a dynasty. The rhythm of history lingers in the scale of its walls and the calm of its courtyards.
Continue to Volubilis, the Roman city where mosaics sleep beneath open fields and storks perch on fallen columns. Each stone whispers stories of merchants, scholars, and families from distant centuries.
The road ends in Moulay Idriss, a holy hill town wrapped around a shrine — white houses cascading over olive-covered slopes, a village of devotion, pilgrimage, and timeless tranquility.
Journey Highlights • Imperial city of Meknes • Roman ruins & mosaics of Volubilis • Holy town of Moulay Idriss
Middle Atlas — Ifrane, Cedar Forests & Azrou (Full-Day Excursion) Rise into the cool air and high meadows of the Middle Atlas. In Ifrane, stone houses, lakes, and flowered gardens recall a peaceful alpine town where time slows to a gentle rhythm.
Travel onward to Azrou, where ancient cedar forests breathe resin and moss. Beneath their tall trunks, Barbary macaques roam freely and the wind carries the scent of pine and earth. This is Morocco’s quiet highland — a landscape of altitude and silence.
Journey Highlights • Alpine-style town of Ifrane • Cedar forests & mountain scenery • Barbary macaques & fresh high-altitude air
Sefrou & Bhalil — Villages of Springs and Cave Homes (Full-Day Excursion) Just beyond Fez lies another Morocco, intimate and deeply human. In Sefrou, a town of gardens and flowing springs, bridges cross lively waters and old houses lean toward narrow streets. Once a vital trading post, Sefrou still carries the calm dignity of a place where cultures met and lived side by side.
Continue to Bhalil, a village known for its cave houses gently carved into the hillside. Here, life moves with humility and grace: laundry drying on stone terraces, children playing in thresholds, tea served in the cool shade of rock-hewn rooms.
Journey Highlights • Traditional town of Sefrou • Rivers, orchards & village life • Bhalil cave homes & local encounters
Fez to Merzouga — Sahara Dunes & Desert Nights (3-Day Journey) This journey carries you from the green valleys of Fez to the golden edge of the Sahara. Cross the Middle Atlas and its cedar forests, descend through valleys and desert plateaus, and follow the palm groves that announce the approach of Merzouga.
There, the dunes of Erg Chebbi rise like waves at the end of the horizon. At sunset, ride a camel across the sand as the sky turns amber and rose. Spend the night in a desert camp beneath a sky luminous with stars — where silence, music, and wind share the same language.
Journey Highlights • Mountain & desert landscapes • Camel trek across the dunes • Sunset & sunrise over the Sahara • Desert camp & cultural music evenings
